1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to construction tools, and, more particularly, to a hammer with integral lever mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
The hammer is an important part of every construction worker's tool box. In addition, the hammer is used constantly by do-it-yourself home repair and remodelers. The hammer, as is well known, is used to nail fastening devices, such as nails, into wood or other materials. Most hammers also have a means for removing such fastening devices, such as a claw shaped protrusion or other mechanism which grips the nail. The head of the hammer is used as a fulcrum, creating leverage to remove the nail. However, many times the nails are very long, such as is the case with framing nails, and complete removal with a conventional hammer is difficult. This is because the lateral distance from the fulcrum point to the nail is smaller than the length of the nail as implanted in the board.
Traditionally, when this incomplete nail removal occurs, the worker must find a board or other similar device to place between the head of the hammer and the board, thus allowing the nail to be removed the rest of the way. However, finding a board to place under the hammer head is time consuming and tiring. In addition, using the hammer multiple times to remove the nail is time consuming and tiring. As an alternative, the worker could use a crowbar. However, this requires carrying an extra tool with him or her.
In the previous art, numerous attempts have been made to correct for the foregoing problem. Numerous devices attempt to address the problem of removing long nails by placing an extension rod at the top of the hammer head. The rod typically extends outward parallel to the centerline of the handle. Thus, the necessity of using a board is removed. Examples of this type of device include U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,236, issued in the name of Kiernan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,776, issued in the name of Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,911, issued in the name of Mikesell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,620, issued in the name of Nitzberg, U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,903, issued in the name of Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,854, issued in the name of Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,047, issued in the name of Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 1,737,958, issued in the name of Carlson, and U.S. Pat. No. 540,967, issued in the name of Eveleth.
Such devices have one or more of the following problems associated with their use. First, the device is bulky, with the rod assembly adding significant weight to the device. Second, the rod interferes with use of the hammer when the rod is not needed. Third, the device still requires significant lateral movement of the handle to remove long nails. Fourth, the device is expensive to manufacture. Fifth, the device does not produce significantly enough force to remove very long nails. Sixth, raising the hammer up off the board or other material from which the nail is being removed and balancing the hammer by the rod end creates an unstable situation during use, with the hammer rotating and slipping along the rod end, increasing the risk of injury to the user. Seventh, the device does not increase the lateral distance between the nail, held by the claw of the hammer, and the fulcrum point. Without this feature, removal of the nail can still take more than one cycle of hammer movement.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an improved apparatus and method which overcomes the problems cited above.